Cradle Of Filth
Cruelty And The Beast

THE REVIEW

In 1998, the controversial Cruelty And The Beast was released, but this adjective could be used to describe every release by Cradle Of Filth. Contrary to what the harshest critics think, this is not the album that definitively takes the band away from the Black Metal of their origins: it is, in fact, a coherent path that has characterized the English band, which has evolved their original sound with thrash, gothic, and heavy metal elements. This is regardless of the concrete results.

Even the songs do not really suggest a flattening of the sound in anticipation of a large-scale record release: they are complex and intricate compositions, often challenging and certainly pretentious, like those of Cruelty And The Beast. In comparison, the ones from the debut album The Principle Of Evil Made Flesh were more immediate and simple.

This complexity at the compositional level logically causes the loss of intensity and immediacy typical of Black Metal, placing this album more in the embrace of the Gothic genre rather than Extreme Metal.

The best tracks are all found in the first part: "Thirteen Autumns And A Widow" vaguely reminds us of their neighbors Dimmu Borgir, those of Enthrone Darkness Triumphant, albeit sweetened in the guitar section. The lyrics are well-written and evocative, in a slightly archaic language indebted to the classics of English literature. Dani Filth's pen has a truly unique and well-executed sense of rhyme and meter: it's a pity that the singing covers all this variety with a truly embarrassing uniformity. A gifted singer capable of ranging between screaming and growl, Dani Filth is consistently over the top in this release, in a continual delusion of grandeur that will lead him to ruin what his bandmates accomplish.

The following tracks take more original paths: "Cruelty Brought Thee Orchids" features a fast pace, supported by a riff that, although softer, is inspired by the Norwegian scene and Immortal in particular. The track alternates between fast parts and calmer moments, creating a truly successful atmosphere. "Beneath The Howling Stars" instead is driven by keyboards, with a catchy and melodic gothic mood. The rest of the album aligns with what is shown in these initial three songs, even though the quality dangerously drops.

A mention goes to "Bathory Aria", a vampiric suite that reprises and sublimates the concept inspired by the figure of Countess Bathory: three moments form this aria with a romantic flavor, which also suffers from the intrusive Dani. The singer never allows the listener to enjoy the moments when the keyboards paint serene ethereal scenes, passages with an almost ambient tone that are fully successful. The disappointment grows as the tracks go by, and it becomes convincing that Dani Filth conceived this project as an album for solo voice.

In short, there is good music in this album, indeed; but it is never great, and it is rare. The personality is there and it is felt, but it is precisely this that ruins a work that otherwise could have aspired to something more. The class is there, but the previous albums were notably better, there is no discussion of prejudices and malice that hold.

Despised by many and praised by the loyalists, Cradle Of Filth have been a good band: the talent lasted for nearly a decade (from the first demos in 1991 to this last successful work), a rare and commendable thing in the Metal field. Continuing to applaud COF today would be a disrespect towards a past that in its way was glorious.